Marine outboard engines have various systems that are necessary for their operation, or at least necessary to facilitate and/or improve their operation. A steering system is used to steer the outboard engine. A tilt and trim system is to adjust the vertical orientation of the outboard engine. A throttle system is used to control the flow of air to the engine of the outboard engine to control the power generated by the engine. A shifting system is used to shift the direction of rotation of a propeller of the outboard engine. A variable pitch propeller system is sometimes used to change the pitch of the propeller blades of the propeller.
Most of today's marine outboard engines have two or more of the above systems. Actuation of these systems can be done in different ways such as electrically (with electric motors or solenoids) or mechanically (with linkages or push-pull cables). Another way of actuating these systems is through the use of hydraulic actuators. When using hydraulic actuators, each hydraulically actuated system includes an a hydraulic fluid reservoir, a pump for pumping hydraulic fluid, at least one hydraulic actuator, and at least one valve for controlling the actuation of the actuator, and hoses for connecting all of these components together.
As would be understood, when multiple systems are hydraulically actuated, the assembly of the systems becomes complex due to the great number of hydraulic parts and the relatively limited space provided in outboard engines. Also, the increased complexity and number of parts increases the likelihood of failure in one of the hydraulically actuated systems. Finally, hydraulic components, such as pumps, are relatively expensive, therefore using multiple hydraulic systems significantly increases the cost of manufacturing outboard engines.
Therefore, there is a need for outboard engine having multiple hydraulically actuated systems that ameliorates at least some of the above inconveniences.